2025 bold sporting predictions: NRL winners and losers, and Australia’s next global superstar
From mid-season defections to a perennial NRL contender’s fall from grace, a young Aussies rise to world domination and an injured veteran’s return to the big stage, we look into our Crystal Ball for the 2025 year in sport.
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Gaze into the 2025 sporting crystal ball and you may see something you like - or you may see your NRL team miss the eight.
As the National Rugby League prepares to descend on Las Vegas for a second time, MICHAEL CARAYANNIS and BRENT READ reveal their regular season ladders, while predicting several high-profile rising stars will agitate to join rival clubs mid-way through the season.
The pair also predict Australia will have a new global sporting superstar in 2025 and a new NSW Test opening pair who will lead Australia to a resounding Ashes victory.
DALLY M
Mitchell Moses will thrive under new coach Jason Ryles. He will challenge Nathan Cleary and Jahrome Hughes as the game’s best halfbacks and on his way he will lead Parramatta’s resurgence. Moses will start strongly and off the back of that he will poll highly in the Dally M votes and sit at the top by the end of the season.
PREDICTED NRL LADDERS
BUY OF THE YEAR
Addin Fonua-Blake will revolutionise Cronulla’s forward pack. He will channel his inner Andrew Fifita and help lead the Sharks’ forwards. Fonua-Blake gives Cronulla a point of difference and something which has been drastically lacking in their forward pack. He will also unlock Blayke Brailey who will be able to finally showcase all his attacking abilities which will again add another layer for the Sharks. Jarome Luai will finish a close second to get the Tigers back to being a competitive side.
ROOSTERS FALL
The Roosters will dip - but not for long. The players who have headed for the exit gates plus key injuries to Sam Walker and Brandon Smith will already test the Roosters. Expect them to miss the top eight for just the second time since Trent Robinson took over in 2013. The last time they missed the eight was a horror 15th place in 2016. The fall from grace won’t be that bad. But they’ll rebound in 2026 with Reece Robson to sit alongside another marquee signing.
MANU’S RETURN
Joey Manu will finish the season back in rugby league after a short stint playing rugby in Japan. The Roosters are keen to have him back to finish the year but only if he returns on a multi-year contract. We’ve seen some other players try their hand at rugby but fall out of love very quickly. Expect him to be back at the tricolours.
BEAR HUNT
North Sydney will finally get the clarity they need and deserve. Some last-minute and much-needed intervention from Peter V’landys will secure their re-entry into the competition as the Western Bears based in Perth. The Bears will come into the competition in 2027 followed by PNG a year later. The 20th side is still a while away and will come down to either New Zealand or another team in Brisbane.
MADGE TO CLEAN HOUSE
If Michael Maguire doesn’t get results early expect a number of big names to be on the chopping block. The new Broncos mentor doesn’t muck around and he will already have an understanding that a few names need to be cut. Expect there to be at least two highly paid players who won’t be at the Broncos comes 2026.
RECORD SELL-OUTS
The NRL will break all sorts of crowd records provided the weather holds out. The likes of Manly and the Warriors will continue to sellout games while the Panthers crowd average will be boosted by their switch to CommBank Stadium while their home ground is redeveloped.
SO CLOSE FOR SAINTS
Shane Flanagan will earn a contract extension before the season is out after guiding the Dragons to a top eight spot for a large chunk of the season. They will fall just short again of playing finals football but the coach will have done enough to show that he can guide them into the finals in 2026 with the addition of a key signing or two.
CLUBS CIRCLE RESTLESS STARS
There are a few players heading into 2025 that are sitting behind established stars. And rival clubs are already taking note to try and pounce by the midway point of the season. They are looking closely at the game time of the likes of Brisbane’s Blake Mozer, Gold Coast’s Keano Kini, Canberra’s Chevy Stewart and Melbourne’s Sua Faalogo.
COACHING FREEDOM?
The NRL to get through a whole season without one coach sacking. Could it happen? Potentially. There seems to be a decent amount of stability at clubs for the first time in a while. That doesn’t mean a stack won’t start the season under pressure. Shane Richardson has put Benji Marshall on notice by saying the Tigers have the best spine in the competition. The Titans will have to show a lot more with Des Hasler. The rest? Should be OK barring a major calamity.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Isaiah Iongi has arrived at Parramatta to wear the no.1 jersey. He has played just one first grade game but the 21-year-old has an advantage that few his age have these days - he has played more than 50 NSW Cup games. The talk at the Eels already is that he has been super impressive and looks destined for a big year.
SUPER LEAGUE DRAMA
Calls continue to grow for the NRL to purchase the struggling Super League competition. That will heat up again. NRL clubs will also give serious thought to buying a Super League side so they can form a partnership with where players will be shared between the two competitions.
SAY GOODBYE
Daly Cherry-Evans headlines a list of stars who are seriously considering their futures. The Manly skipper has 12 months left on his current deal and will wait to see before he decides if he will play again. He won’t be the only long-timer to give it away. The likes of Adam Reynolds, Josh Papali’i, Felise Kaufusi, Kieran Foran, Dane Gagai and Jack de Belin may also be about to play their last NRL season.
WAYNE’S BIG CALL
What to do with Alex Johnston? The South Sydney flyer is just 17 tries behind Ken Irvine’s record for the most in rugby league history. Johnston is coming back from a ruptured Achilles and will need to regain his form to be guaranteed a spot on the wing. It is certainly something which will be worth monitoring.
CHANGE AT THE TOP
Kurtis Patterson will be the biggest story in Australian cricket. He will eventually crack a spot in Australia’s batting order and go on to become a mainstay after his career looked destined for the scrap heap last year. Sam Konstas will find a home at the top of the order and the NSW duo will lead Australia to a home series Ashes win.
GOUT GOUT RUNS BECOMES A GLOBAL STAR
Gout Gout has already stamped himself as the future of sprinting in this country. He will become a global star in 2025 as he makes his mark against the world’s best. Fresh from spending time with sprint King Noah Lyles early in the year, expect him to break the magical 10-second barrier at some point in the next 12 months. Gout Gout and his camp are in no rush, but he will become one of the stars of the Sprint series on Netflix and have corporate supporters beating a path to his door. He will become a household name around the world.
WALLABIES FALSE DAWN
The Wallabies emerged from the Spring Tour with hope renewed but they won’t have much fun in 2025. Expect them to come crashing back to earth against the British and Irish Lions. Even Joseph-Akuoso Suaalii won’t be able to help them as they suffer a series defeat against the tourists and then in the Bledisloe Cup against arch rivals, the All Blacks.
JAI TAKES ON THE WORLD .… AND WINS
Jai Opetaia is already the best boxer in the country but expect him to confirm as much as he unifies the cruiserweight belts in 2025. Don’t be surprised after that if he then moves up to heavyweight and chases the big money against the likes of Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury.
BACK ON TOP
George Kambosos to make another title run at a different weight class. Kambosos is keen on securing the big fights and is expected to throw his name back into the world title mix with a fight in February. He has jumped up to super lightweight division and won’t rest until a title is back around his waist.
SMITH MAULS THE MASTERS
Cameron Smith has four top 10 finishes in his past five appearances at Augusta National. He loves the joint. With LIV Golf and the PGA Tour finally reaching a peace deal early in 2025, expect Smith to celebrate by giving the Masters a red-hot shake. Don’t be surprised if he is wearing green in April.
KERR COMES BACK AND SHINES FOR THE MATILDAS
Sam Kerr makes her return from a knee injury and quickly reclaims her mantle as one of the best strikers in the world. The Aussie superstar has a year to remember as she pours on the goals for Chelsea and Australia, and celebrates the birth of her first child with partner Kristie Mewis.
AUSTRALIA LOCKS IN THE NFL
Australia will finally be announced as an international venue to host an NFL game. Sydney has been lobbying hard for a regular season fixture and all that hard work will eventually come off when the NSW Government are handed a game - upsetting our Victorian friends.
Originally published as 2025 bold sporting predictions: NRL winners and losers, and Australia’s next global superstar
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